Veterans Connect with Employers at Job Fair in Lansing

Laura King served in the US Navy for six years. She is one of more than 120 veterans who attended a job fair in Lansing put on by the National Guard.

"I was nervous at first because I have never been to a job fair before," said King a veteran.

But she found out about the fair the night before and came prepared with plenty of resumes.

"I knew that I had a lot to offer and I got a lot of good responses, so I am really excited to hear from them," said King.

At the fair King could visit with 65 employers all in one location, each looking to hire those who have served our country.

Veterans come from all different backgrounds, but they have at least one thing in common, and that is their skill set. And that is exactly what employers are looking for.

"They are always early, they are eager to work, they follow everything to a T," said Janine Wilcox, a recruiter for Robert Half International. "They are just really reliable employees."

Wilcox liked what she saw in Laura King.

"I am just like 'Oh, my gosh.' I called my colleague and said you need to follow up with her because we have an open position right now that is available," said Wilcox. "She would be a perfect fit for this company."

The organizer of the event stresses the fair is about more than jobs.

"We don't just want to give them a job we want to give them career opportunities because they've done so much to sacrifice for our country," said Michael West, the event organizer and operation manager at the veterans' services division.

Governor Snyder attended the fair to show his support.

"It's about team work. It's not what I'm doing. It's what we are all doing together cause we all care about our veterans and it's great to see the excitement," said Governor Snyder. "The veterans, the service they have given to our country we want to recognize that. I believe our employers want to recognize that. So it's creating the events and the environment so we can all succeed together. And we are making that happen. It it happening here today but we are going to keep it up."

King came nervous, but left confident she will get to pick between a few different employers.

"I'm confident that I'm going to hear back from everybody and land a job. I'm very happy with today," said King.

The three-day job fair, which happens every year around veterans day, moves to Marquette Friday. The fair will be five days next year and will have additional stops in Detroit and Saginaw.

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